Notes: this film starts extremely well but loses steam in the
latter sequences and comes to a rather unsatisfactory, vague conclusion.
However, El rincón de las vírgenes is still a very
entertaining movie, and well worth watching, although it falls somewhat
short of masterpiece status.

On his farm, Lucas Lucatero receives a delegation of women from the
town of Comala: they are adherents of Anacleto Morones, and want
Lucas--Anacleto's former right-hand man--to go with them and testify to
the "miracles" performed by Anacleto in hopes of having him declared a
saint. In flashback, Lucas recalls his association with Anacleto and his
niece, Leona...

Anacleto and Leona make a precarious living selling printed
corridos (narrative ballads) and other items in villages on market
day. One evening, they attend the cinema, where Lucas works as the
"explicador" (someone who narrates silent movies). Anacleto offers Lucas a
job. On their way to the next town, Anacleto suddenly strips off his shirt
and lies down on an anthill until his entire torso is covered with the
stinging insects--yet he is unharmed. This demonstration of his "power"
impresses a passerby into making a monetary donation (Anacleto buys a new
pair of shoes, "that squeak--because how will you know they're new, unless
they squeak?"). Anacleto, Lucas, and Leona go into the faith healer
business; when Anacleto cures the paralyzed daughter of municipal
president Melesio Terrones (and gives Melesio a salve which restores the
older man's sexual potency), they decide to make the town of Comala their
headquarters. Visitors flock to meet the holy man. Anacleto spends a lot
of time with his female disciples, especially the nubile ones. Lucas
marries Leona. After an earthquake strikes Comala, the state governor and
his wife pay a visit. While Melesio and the governor tour the damaged
town, the governor's wife goes to Anacleto to have her aching back
treated. The governor catches Anacleto massaging his naked spouse, and the
holy man is tossed in jail. Some time later, Anacleto is freed
and visits Lucas on his farm, demanding his share of their proceeds. After
an argument that escalates to a brawl, Lucas kills Anacleto and buries his
body on the farm. When Leona comes home (Lucas accuses her of cheating on
him), she finds Anacleto's bloody shoes and runs away through the woods,
naked.

El rincón de las vírgenes is a good-natured movie,
at least until the final moments. Anacleto's "miracles" are all explained
away--he says ants won't bite you if you are biting your tongue, and he
cures Melesio's daughter using acupuncture he learned from a Chinese man
("this will either cure her or really screw her up," he tells Lucas)--but
his clients seem satisfied and no one is really harmed by his scam (except
for one man who's locked up, accusing of mutilating corpses, while it is
implied Anacleto is the culprit). He cheerfully gives away Leona to Lucas
(probably because he has numerous other young women to sleep with),
although Emilio García Riera suggests the final confrontation
between Anacleto and Lucas might be related to Leona rather than solely
over money.

Emilio Fernández seems to be enjoying himself as the lusty
Anacleto, who doesn't take himself seriously and enthusiastically
participates in the various "rituals" of his new life. Alfonso Arau is
also quite good as the cynical Lucas, who tries to explain Anacleto's true
nature to the beatas who visit him. Pancha admits she slept
with Anacleto, but only slept with him: "that's because you weren't
young and attractive," Lucas retorts. The women enthusiastically remember
a trip to the seashore, where Anacleto and his followers plunged into the
surf, but Lucas reminds them that one of their members disappeared,
presumably drowned. Lucas also plies his uninvited guests with alcoholic
ponche and tries to seduce Nieves, his former sweetheart (Lilia
Prado, virtually unrecognizable). It's curious that the two protagonists
of the movie were both film directors themselves (although Arau had only
directed one movie prior to this point): reportedly, Emilio
Fernández didn't especially like Isaac, or was perhaps envious that
a relative "novice" was making very personal movies (Fernández
hadn't directed a movie since 1968, but would return to the director's
chair in 1973 with La Choca).

El rincón de las vírgenes contains some very
humorous passages. The funniest sight gag occurs when the governor mildly
raps a earthquake-damaged house with his cane, only to have the whole
building collapse! The narration provided by Lucas in the movie theatre is
also amusing (the theatre is called the "Lucero," possibly a reference to
Isaac's wife). The small-town setting and the 1920s period are evoked
almost flawlessly, which isn't surprising considering Isaac drew upon his
own childhood memories for films like this and Los días del
amor. While the script is drawn from different stories by Juan Rulfo,
the picture is well-paced and not as episodic as, for example,
Tivoli. In addition to Fernández and Arau, mentioned above,
the rest of the cast is fine: Rosalba Brambila is very beautiful (but
doesn't have enough screen time, in my opinion), while Córdova,
Salinas, Ortega, and Prado turn in good performances.

El rincón de las vírgenes won Diosas de Plata as
Best Film and for Isaac as Best Director. In the Ariel Awards, Alfonso
Arau was nominated as Best Actor.

Rincón is available on video from Oxxo Films. Support video companies who
are
making Mexican movies available on video tape, and--remember--"diga no a
la piratería" (which, in my opinion, applies to all films currently
"in
print" on commercial video in the USA).